These are films that I consider were made for specifically for kids or families to enjoy. Many kids films are so juvenile or poorly executed that it’s a real joy to find some that can be on an adults list of must-sees. I’ve left off some real obvious ones, like Wizard of Oz, because it’s so well-regarded already. Also, films like “Spirited Away,” while a great film, and many may argue that it is for kids, is a little inaccessible for the smaller ones. As usual, tell us your favorites in the comments.
The first of several Pixar films on this list. This is an amazing film with themes that soar over the heads of little ones. It’s almost Chaplinesque in style, and has already been compared to Chaplin’s classic “Modern Times.” Extremely intelligent, funny, touching and with a message that is worth heeding. Great music too. What other kid’s movie would feature Louis Armstrong’s version of Le Vie En Rose?
Absolutely sublime and hilarious. This smart Brit stop-motion feature stars the great clay duo made famous in several shorts, and adds a crew of memorable characters. The transformation scene itself is worth the price of admission. And look for the funny little winks throughout like a jar of “Middle-Aged Spread” or the cleverly place box with the label “May contain nuts.” Bang, zoom, right over kids heads and into the laps of adults.
This little seen gem was written and directed by Brad Bird, the genius who later joined Pixar and created The Incredibles and Ratatouille (see later on list). It’s traditional cell animation, with some CG enhancements, but that’s not what makes this a classic. The story is kind of a nod to E.T. (extraterrestrial stranded on earth, befriends young boy), but it’s told with such unique wit and heart, you can’t help but love it for it’s own outstanding merits. And the retro ’50s style and be-bop soundtrack are right on spot.
The original was completely original. It didn’t have to resort to making Kermit a character other than himself. The genius hand of Jim Henson is all over this, and the hilarious cameos, like Steve Martin, Carl Reiner and Big Bird are great. It’s fun, funny and a real classic for kids and adults.
Another great Pixar entry, from the mind of Brad Bird. These guys are master story tellers, and never resort to winks about pop culture or smarmy asides to make their films connect with audiences. This is a beautiful film, Paris is perfectly rendered, and the food is mouth-watering, even if it is prepared by a rat. Only Pixar could do that. Very little ones might get bored, but for the ‘tweens and adults with heart, this is a must see/must own.
A fun Disney film, one that Disney seems to have forgotten. Robert Zemekis created an incredibly fun world where toons co-exist with humans. The opening cartoon is a hoot, especially for anyone that loves the mayhem of classic Tex Avery cartoons. Kids will think Roger is hilarious, and adults will love the double entendres and Jessica’s assets. Patty-Cake anyone?
Connery before Bond. Live action Disney at it’s finest. Sure, Mary Poppins was great and The Absent-Minded Professor is a classic, but this one is just a real joy. Never silly, always full of whimsy. Kids will love the bouncy fun, adults get to relive childhood. And the effects are pretty darn good for the time.
If you don’t love Spongebob, take your pulse, because you’re probably dead. He’s one of the best cartoon characters to be created since Bugs Bunny. Continually funny and outlandish. And Patrick is the perfect idiot to accompany him. This is an incredibly hilarious movie for everyone. I dare you not to sing the “Goofy Goober” song after it’s over.
It’s a superhero movie. It’s a dysfunctional family movie. It’s a mid-life crisis movie. It’s all these things and it’s an absolute joy. Mr. Incredible’s desire to regain his glory is so heartfelt that every guy in the theater will think of their own past success with a tear. Every character is perfectly realized. It’s funny and thrilling but with a really big heart in the middle of it. Kudos to Brad Bird and Pixar again. Watch for the winks to the Incredible’s sex life…
One of the most memorable and wonderful family films ever. Christmas, Halloween, Tim Burton, how can it miss? The soundtrack from Danny Elfman is amazing, with witty, beautiful tunes and lyrics. Jack is perfectly realized as the “town hero” who seeks more in his life (or death, as it may be), a place we all find ourselves time to time. Sally is lovelorn and pines for Jack to not only love her, but just notice her. Incredibly animated by Henry Selick, based on Tim Burton’s original story, NBX has become a cult classic that Disney often sweeps under the carpet in place of pushing their more mainstream offerings. Too bad. This one is a true masterpiece.
Notable Omissions: Shrek, Little Manhattan, Snow White, The Love Bug, Watership Down, The Borrowers
Contributor: SteveD
I'm glad to see Nightmare Before Christmas as number 1, because I am 18 years old now, but I've loved that movie since I was a kid. I do have to agree with most though, Spongebob should not be on this list at all, mostly because people older than 8 do hate him because he is SO ANNOYING. I do believe that Finding Nemo should be on this list, as well as Aladdin, Mulan or Toy Story. Not Toy Story Two though, that one was terrible compared to the first.
And one last note, Corpse Bride was so not better than the Nightmare Before Christmas.
****
#115. ToKiLoKi12
has anyone else noticed that the movies that have jokes that can go over kids heads (while still appealing to kids) and make adults laugh end up doing REALLY well at the box office
****
Such has it always been, all the way back to the Fleischer cartoons.
btw, re the early, early Disney. I have the bit, "When I see an Elephant Fly" from Dumbo, on my personal blog.
I saw an episode of SpongeBob, where Spongebob, his boss and patrick went on a panty raid. that isn't for children
Randall,
Hear, hear, hear, hear.
But to pìnch a classification from music, you are talking and listing the scummy oodles of middle-period Disney (Pixar is late period, as per last Beethoven string quartets, but hopefully not ‘last’!) For what I know you may place all Disney in that category. Not all we wrinklies do. Some of us hate what I will label the post-war crap and cynicism (although I am only speaking for myself). Instead of developing those few that were shining pillars of our childhood (and I would add ‘Dumbo’ to the three already mentioned), all went downhill on skids. The *****e came out when we were more adult, and we afficionados despised them just as much as you do. To be fair, shallow and callow though the overall treatment is, one could pick enjoyable and imaginative MOMENTS out of, say, ‘Alice’. There was fringe stuff such as ‘Song of the South’ where I certainly loved the animated stories, though would fast-forward with eyes shut through the rest today.
Maybe you hate the bathwater so much you can only chuck out the baby as well. If you do, I suggest you will be betraying the artists who devoted their skills as a labour of love to creating flicks such as ‘Snow White’. A TV docu of that was once shown. Those guys worked far beyond the call of duty in a mood of collective inspiration which was not motivated by pay packets. As a driven botanist who at times can’t help doing what he loves for bugger all bread, I picked up the same vibes from them (the survivors) as they talked. I don’t think you can classify some of their terrifyingly portrayed moments already mentioned by me above as ‘cutesy’. O.K., the overall mood is less anarchic, and even in those days more sprinkled with sugar than their rivals’ work. That was simply Disney’s policy: as much when he still had some idealism left in him as when he became a total vile corporate monster.
As a young child, and in the less savvy and often more grim context of the times (war, austerity) I also enjoyed many, though by no means all the shorts. The more anarchic Donald Duck with his splendid vocals was always far more acceptable than the all-too-often embarrassing, swivel-eared Mickey. It is interesting to note that the venerated ‘Monty Python’ team partially owes direct descent from these. Their main source of inspiration was the madcap and incredibly innovative radio ‘The Goon Show’ which catapulted Peter Sellers to fame. Its writer and other main creative vocalist, Spike Milligan, a true anti-establishment rebel, based the voice of one of the main characters, ‘The Famous’ Eccles, on Goofy.
I can still recall one Disney cartoon seen as a very young child in central London cartoon theatre about a small goldfish accidentally lost down a plug-hole and its odyssey of a journey to the sea. And you’d say ‘Nemo’ was original? (O.K. I’m a biologist, I know goldfish cannot survive in salt water, but nor can clownfish away from their protective coral hosts!)
I appreciate your sickened reaction. You are also, of course, absolutely at liberty to express your personal opinion and react according to your taste and experience. But when it comes to the early periods works, you can hardly deny you’re swinning against an almost full consensus, even these days. Out of interest, I check out films I value against (at least) Maltin, Halliwell (critics), Amazon (public) and 1000 films to see before you die (critics):
M H A TOTAL
MAXIMUM 4 4 5 13
Snow White (1937)* 4 4 4.5 12.5*
Pinocchio (1940) 4 4 4 12
Dumbo (1941) 4 4 4.5 12.5
Bambi (1942)* 4 4 4.5 12.5*
Song of the South (1946) 3.5 1 5 9.5
Alice (1951) 3 1 4.5 8.5
The Muppet Movie (1979) 3 2 5 9.5
Nemo (2003) 3.5 2 5 10
* = in 1000 films to see before you die.
Notes: Without exception, and from an adult point of view, everyone whose opinion I value would put ‘Pinoke’ first. I’m disappointed it’s slightly downplayed here, and also appalled by public taste (Amazon). My overall view is nigh on identical to the ever-severe Halliwell.
They were staggeringly unique, and ‘Snow White’ in particular was an act of faith. It nearly broke the studio and all concerned were constantly told it would be a box office flop. The first ‘Big Four’ have perhaps never even been equalled since (I’m allowing Pixar as a different technology), except for the odd one-off masterpiece such as ‘Les Triplettes de Belleville’. I’d be happy that this historical viewpoint was at least acknowledged.
MPW: I've always thought spongebob was on drugs.
I love Cartoon Network. It helped me learn English and thank Fry for that.
#118 Cocololo "plus, name me ONE disney hero/ine that does not have at least one dead parent"
Mulan's parents were both alive. And so was her grandmother.
I am starting to see why some of the adults here do not enjoy these kids movies. You all are reading way too much into a children's film.
hey, i love cartoons and i think finding nemo should be here. FINDING NEMO!
I remember when I saw TNBC in theaters, it was so sad, yet cute and happy, and I was obsessed ever since!
Im going to go watch that right now!
It's strange. Over 129 comments and yet only Mom424 has ponted out that Monsters, Inc. has been omitted from this list.
"The Lion King" anyone?
segue, 123,
"When I see an elephant fly"
Reply short but sweet and focussed. I knew if I'd get a direct response finally from anyone, It'd probably be you.
Ever felt you were talking yourself?
And it was the first sign of madness?
JwJwBean, 127,
In some cases, no. They are simply not reading anything into GREAT childrens' films. Simply ignoring them.
If I said Hitchcock's films were *****, you'd quite rightly all be jumping over me. (And I be jumping over myself.) If I said some Hitch*****films were masterpieces (and named them), but Hitch*****didn't happen to hit my particular button. you'd find that a reasonable answer I hope. Wouldn't you?
The Lion King Rules and yes I know it has been mentioned
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#132. Spanner in the worksj
segue, 123,
“When I see an elephant fly”
Reply short but sweet and focused. I knew if I’d get a direct response finally from anyone, It’d probably be you.
Ever felt you were talking yourself?
And it was the first sign of madness?
****
LOL! LOL! LOL!
Oh, Spanner, quite often!
You know, the old cartoons, Fleischer, Merrie Melodies, the early Disney's, the early Warner Bros. were really little gems. I can still envision entire Fleischer and Merrie Melodies scenes, and thanks to both them, and Bugs Bunny, I've found myself, more than once, having to stifle laughter at Philharmonic performances or Operas. I always wonder how many other audience members are having the same reaction.
As to Hitchcock, some of my all time favorite movies are Hitchcock's. He could build more fear and suspense with the use of shadows, or camera angle being just off, than any modern director can do with aall their fancy equipment…and I worked in the industry.
But enough.
Time to drug myself into senselessness.
ta!
segue,
For when you come back: and I hope you don't get put through too much of a medical mill meanwhile.
Of course talking about films to you is teaching grandma to suck eggs (eggs suck?). I'd forgotten.
I'm beginning to feel sorry for these pixar-worshippers and wondering just how much of the great early stuff you and I have mentioned they really know. That isn't in any way, in the slightest sense playing down pixar. But it's a bit like going to the same magnificent holiday destination every year and saying it's better than anywhere else, so who needs to go anywhere else. Personally I find that sort of exclusive approach antipathetic, but there you are. One has to specialise somehow or other, that's all life's short span allows, but I do that reluctantly, knowing I'm missing out on wonderful alternatives, rather than dismissively. Of course, one also has to apply the critical faculty and personal preference, but it seems to me people are confusing or mixing those two here.
I'm sure you know it, but I think my all-time favourite short, maybe my all-time favourite animated, is the Tom and Jerry 'Cat Concerto'. It's divine, it's sublime, it's as close to sheer genius as the music it's drawn around, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Nº 2*. Every second is full of superb invention. And it has a happy ending too! Whenever I watch it, mixed-emotion tears come welling to my eyes; of laughter, of appreciation at its magic, of sheer joy.
*(Actually, I don't particularly enjoy Liszt except for the thrilling Psalm 13 "Herr, wie lange willst du meiner so gar vergessen?". But if he did nothing else than inspire that cartoon, I'd be eternally grateful!).
And talk of vile Disney deterioration. What about the modern Tom and Jerrys, etc. Ugh! ugh! What a cynical betrayal of standard there too.
ringtailroxy – Yes, Titan A.E. was a Don Bluth film… Sadly it was his last =/ It bombed so bad that he was forced to close down his studio… or something to that nature. My favorite, FAVORITE Don Bluth films are: Land Before Time, Secret of NIMH (very dark movie), All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia, and last but definitely not least, An American Tail (which was also the very first movie I saw in the theaters).
An interesting side note: Had it not been for the huge success for An American Tail, there probably wouldn't have been the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, or any other of the post 80's Disney movies. I read in a few places that Disney company was on the verge of shutting down their animated movie productions due to the lack of box office dollars they were getting (I guess The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver & Company were the last straws). But when An American Tail came out, it was a huge success (beating the Great Mouse Detective in 1986). This showed Disney there was still an audience for good animated movies. I tried providing a link to support my claim, but sadly I could not find one. If I do I will post it later
I must point out that despite the fact that I love Disney I cant defend their recent work.
I have two 11 year old sisters who live and breath the ***** Disney dishes out. High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Surley even Randall can agree that watching the Disney version of Little Mermaid is 1000 times better than watching a ***** to be prance around in a wig acting like she can sing. I remember seeing an episode of Oprah where forty – fifty year olds were cheering and even crying when they saw her come in with her huge teeth and extensions. What the hell happend to dignity?
Moose:
I totally agree with you on The Little Mermaid. I love it too. That was my favorite movie as a child, and I got the special edition for Christmas last year. Watching it again as an adult was an entirely different experience than as a child! I am moving to a different continent in a few months, and watching the final scene when she leaves her family in the ocean to be with Eric was so much more than a happy ending – it was a moving goodbye as well! I have to say it really got to me.
ringtailroxy:
Titan A.E. is an amazing film! I love Don Bluth, although the Land Before Time series is crazily out of hand. How many are there now? 15?
Kind of addressing your theme, Seth,
I would have to admit on reflection to being unfair and biased in lumping all later Disney animateds together for overall tubeflushing. If you can excuse that, it's my reaction against the total ignoring or rubbishing of the early masterpieces, which were also, does anyone recall, technical ground¡breakers in so many respects. That coupled with the fact the later ones you just name were and are receiving their fair share of shouts.
To take two, I'd rate 'An American Tail' as definitely watchable and enjoyable, if not up to the high original standard, but perhaps 'Aladdin' comes close or is. That is borne out by both critical and public response, which, as per my posting 105, give an aggregate of 11.5 out of 13 stars. I wonder what the difference might have been without Robin Williams?
warningdontreadthis: I'm no fan of disney and definatly not Hannah Montana but come on…would you rather have them watching something completely braindead like spongebob? Disney doesn't care about dignity! They're a company..they care about money. Disney is doing to the film industry what EA is doing to the video game industry. Pumping out as much stuff as they can and then milking it to death. They don't give two sh*ts about dignity…they're rich!
Man. I though Finding Nemo was a terrible film.
As a gigantic Tim Burton fan I have to say Nightware was excellent. It definitely deserves it's spot.
And it's La Vie En Rose, not Le Vie En Rose.
Hannah Montana is great!
A show with Billy Ray Cyrus.. Yummy.
Somewhere up above, The Hannah Barbera Flintstones is held up high against Disney, and questions were asked about whether the company made films.
I should just like to note that in my opinion the two Flintstone films are insurmountably monumental crap, a witless and humourless insult to the better aspects of their own series, and wrongly considered by at least one critic as fit to appeal only to young kids. Poor young kids!
And not only my opinion. I love the following crisp critiques quoted in Halliwell, a remarkably similar set of variations on a theme:
'Yabba Dabba Doo-doo.' Philadelphia Inquirer.
'Yabba Dabba Don't.' USA Today.
'Yabba Dabba Dud.' New York Daily Post.
'Yabba Dabba Poo!' Empire.
Well, apparently the public flocked to see it, and it even garners an astonishing three out of five stars in Amazon, so I'm digging in for a backlash here.
No general criticism of Hannah Barbera intended.
Thought I'd done that. Too bloody tired to concentrate properly.
Hanna Barbera, of course not Hannah. Nothing at all to do with Woody Allen.
anything pixar
The Nightmare before Christmas is a classic, it was a little unfortunate that the next movie made by them, The Corpse Bride" wasnt up to the same standard, the animation was great, but the story line was just lacking.
Spongebob square turd is a horrible animation, not only are the writters lacking an imagination, but have no idea how to put a story line together that actually has some moral meaning that gets the child/adult thinking.
i mean, even Buggs Bunnie and the Daffy Duck cartoons dont really have any moral meaning to them, but, at least they weren't making us dumber by watching them, as horrible as a cartoon it was, "Captain Planet" sticks in my mind to this day (i thought the blond was hot when iwas 8) now, i might not recycle as much as i probably could, but between the greenies advertising to recycle and take care of the planet and pretty much giving me the *****s and Captain Planet, i think the good old captain implanted the thought that "hey! maybe i should put this can in the recycle bin"
i'm not saying that every cartoon/animation should have a moral meaning, but i aint letting my son watch bloody Pokemon or Dragon ball Z just so he nags me to go get him the trading cards or ***** like that.
The old school Nija Turtles back from the early 90's and even the OLD Transformers should be re-run instead, classics are classics and shoudnt be *****ed with.
To Randall and all others who have expressed a strong dislike for Disney:
I hear you and I agree- Disney warps fairy tales so that everything ends happily, regardless of how the original tale went.
I applaud you for taking the time to share the original versions of these stories with your children, because I agree that if you feel they can deal with the darker aspects, they should be allowed to enjoy them. I love, for example, the Norwegian variation of Beauty and the Beast.
That being said, I love Disney of the 80s and early 90s. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie, animated or live action. In my defense, I have read multiple versions: the Jean Cocteau version, whichever version was used for the creepy talking Mother Goose tape player, a Norwegian variation called East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and the original Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche. Despite the many changes Disney made, it was the message of the film that touched me- you can be liked for being yourself, regardless of appearance.
I recall seeing a more traditional version of the Little Mermaid that actually pointed out what she endured- the feeling of daggers when she walked, losing the prince to another, turning into sea foam rather than kill him. I loved that too. Rather than painting Ariel as a woman who “gives up her voice and spreads her legs AND give up who she loves being just to be with a man”, I grew up seeing her as someone who was willing to sacrifice everything for love. Call me a romantic, but I loved it. I still do.
And the Lion King? Before it was a Japanese cartoon in the 60s, it was a Shakespearean play known as Hamlet.
Someone argued that Disney movies are not good because the protagonist is almost always missing the mother figure. Looking back at the original stories, there’s still no mom. Disney didn’t come up with that on their own.
I could go on in detail as to how there is good and bad in Disney films and how Disney has done nothing new in changing a story to suit the audience (which has been going on as long as there were stories to tell), but frankly, I don’t want to type that much.
Yes. Disney is a massive corporation set on making money off of selling happy stories to young children. Disneyland is an overpriced shrine to all things Disney. I still love it, because when I was young, I wanted to see the prince and the princess live happily ever after. When I’m having a bad day, I need to see that things can work out, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time.
People see what they want to see in Disney films. I see that little bit of magic we all search for as a child and give up on as adults.
CRSN (148),
The reason not to let your son watch 'Get Poked', 'Dragon's Bollocks' and the worst of the saucer-eyed, Jap-crap (No racism intended: I'd as freely put Brit*****, if appropriate)is not the attendant merchandise. It's the appallingly cynical rubbish itself.
With that stuff so thick on the screen, I don't understand why you people are so hellbent on kicking Disney and Sponge ass (as you say). Take away those of the present generation that are based around violence; whose puerile artwork could be equalled or bettered by talented kids at most art schools I have known (faces, that if they show any emotion or expression at all, can only offer hatred or revenge-aggression), and are not redeemed by a minimal portion of humanity and/or humour, and what's left? By comparison, most of those leave the much-maligned bath commodity looking like a cross between Albert Einstein, the Dalai Lama and Bob Hope.
Many contributors here have recorded fond and important childhood memories of what Moose (137) above niceky described as "that little bit of magic we all search for as a child and give up on as adults". I'm not going to stir up irrelevant controversy here by naming pets and pet aversions among former cartoon characters, but even the worst had humour, humanity of story line (or the violence was unmistakeably tongue-in-cheek in the cause of laughter), and decent standards of artwork and body-animation. What similar images are today's kids going to carry away from the presnt mouldering pile as cherished memories of their old age? Given this situation; let alone the shining lights of 'The Simpsons' and 'Futurama', not for the very young anyway, thank heavens for dear old spongebob, says I.
Or is there a whole load of high quality regular animation out there that's passed me by so far?
Someone said in defence of Disney earlier in this list that writers had taken stories throughout history and rewritten them to their style.
Too true, blue. Move on to the next list: W. Shakespeare, Esq.
I don't really consider Who Framed Roger Rabbit to be a kids' movie. When I was a kid and it came out, I had no idea what was going on. I watched it not too long ago, now that I'm older, and it has a lot of adult themes in it.
I'm surprised actually that a few Pixar movies made it but not Finding Nemo, that's my favorite one, as an adult! =)
Surprised not to see Beauty & The Beast, for this was visualling a stunnng movie, and the only animated movie to nominated for Best Picture, how could it not be on the list!!!!
What about the Jungle Book, the last movie Walt Disney was involved in with great story line, wonderful memorable songs by the Sherman Bros and regarded as a Disney Classic.
Another movie that has adult humour is The Emporers New Groove, check it out, very funny and one of my favourite out of Disney.
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135. Spanner in the worksj
I’m sure you know it, but I think my all-time favourite short, maybe my all-time favourite animated, is the Tom and Jerry ‘Cat Concerto’. It’s divine, it’s sublime, it’s as close to sheer genius as the music it’s drawn around, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody Nº 2*. Every second is full of superb invention. And it has a happy ending too! Whenever I watch it, mixed-emotion tears come welling to my eyes; of laughter, of appreciation at its magic, of sheer joy.
****
I couldn't have said it any better, so I won't add a word.
I don't down-play what Pixar has accomplished. They have come up with some very nice stuff…but I know how it's all done, so it sort of takes away the magic. It's machines, though humans get it going and finish it up some…for what it makes up in all its technical glory, it somehow lacks the soul of the man-made, cel by cel, cartoons we grew up with.
But again, apples and potatos.
i love the ir0on giant. it was one of my favorite movies as a kid! i was so happy to see it on this list!!
i have seen all the movies on this list-but i haven't seen the new 3-d verson of the nightmare before christmas and my middle sister and i watched roger rabbit to death!!! the original Fantasia is my all time favorite movie and in my opinion one of the best movies ever made!!!
Lethal Pixi,
Interesting to have 'Fantasia' on board. Another major early Disney. It's a mixture of the arts that Wagner would surely have thoroughly approved of in theory and hated in execution!
It had actually slipped my mind higher up the postings here. I'm too far down the line of musical sophistication for it to be an out-and-out personal favourite, although it is one of Anita's. I certainly wouldn't rate it as a childrens' film under any circumstance either. An intelligent child, definitely a musical one, might survive and even enjoy Dukas's 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' (certainly one of the Mouse's best outings). 'Night on a Bare Mountain' and 'The Rite of Spring' are surely adult fare though, even when modulated by all that colour and movement, and the whole thing is well over two hours long. Of course that can be chopped up on DVD.
Even now it wallows in critical acclaim, with its acknowledged vulgarities (Wipe that dreadful 'Pastoral' visual, please. UGH!) and cutesy sentimentalities forgiven for its overall brilliant passages of invention. The words stunning, strange and beautiful, and innovative crop up for it from normally severe pens. The dancing hippos and alligators remind me of a much more recent hilarious ballet by a modern Dutch dance company, who dressed up as fatties in foam body-suits and light-footed it to one of the fast Bach Brandenburg concertos!
There's no way of knowing, but I wonder how many people have been introduced to classical music by 'Fantasia'? It was also another bold and risky venture by Disney himself that can in no way be rubbished as commercially cynical, or as corporate greed, or similar. The only valid condemnation could be on grounds of artistic taste, and for that one must also bear in mind what was the intention and the intended audience.
To be upfront, although this is a film for children, and for me a lovely one, it's very obscure and provincial, and would
never qualify for the list. The problem is, I don't know the title and want to, so I'm hoping some film buff, above all Australian (it's an Oz film) can come to my aid after a brief synopsis.
A lonely young boy wandering around comes to a large, empty barn-like building in the town. He explores inside. I'ts dark and has recessed workshops. In one of them he comes upon a hostile old recluse who is secretly rebuilding a crashed tiger moth biplane. They are both lonely and alientated and the old man initially tries to drive the boy away. But soon they are co-operating on the construction, the boy bringing in parts, and eventually they finish the project.
I found the film simple, unpretentious, moving and beautifully done.
Anybody?
I would like to suggest Goonies & Monster Squad. They were both good movies. I watched them as a kid and now watch them with my kids.
these movies rock
i thought alice in wonderland would be on here, but thats ok
What about the Hunchback of Notre Dame?
It's a fantastic film. Children love it because of the whole good verses evil, funny talking gargoyles, beautiful princess sort of thing. But the animation is incredible, and there's a definite undercurrent of darkness and a much more adult storyline, if you look closer (torture? genocide? burning an innocent to death?), particularly with the character of Frollo. It's definitely my favourite "traditional" Disney film (musical, 2D animation etc.)
How the hell did 'Big' (Tom Hanks) get left off the list? And how come I've only just thought of it? This is a thoroughly delightful, I would say magic, film that got totally under my and Anita's skins. We've watched it a couple of times, I'd gladly watch it over, and it's somewhere on the list of DVD wants, should we ever get around to it. It goes straight to the heart of “that little bit of magic we all search for as a child and give up on as adults”, as already referred to. The acting is flawless and the story and invention never flag, and are never forced or false. It mixes its two generations in a seamless way that must surely appeal to and touch both equally; indeed anybody with a drop of 'knowing innocence' left in them.
Rosi,
The Hunchback has its supporters like yourself, and detractors. It's certainly got all you say, though is not an easy one to assess from every angle. If people are going to come back here, they'll probably point out the several very dark and fine 'traditional' filmed versions (the unforgettable Charles Laughton and that catchphrase, imitated by generations of comedians!). However, I'm not sure comparison on just one plane is valid. It was a bold and courageous venture, but would generally be considered too flawed to be right up there, I think.
What about The Dark Crystal? At least an honorable mention is needed
****
56. Spanner in the worksj
Lethal Pixi,
Interesting to have ‘Fantasia’ on board. Another major early Disney. It’s a mixture of the arts that Wagner would surely have thoroughly approved of in theory and hated in execution!
****
Interesting. I just now thought of Fantasia!
I was taken to the cinema to see it when I was quite young.
I loved it. It filled me with a series of emotions; wonder, delight, dread, fear, amusement, terror, but mostly, wondrous delight.
That there was an entire level of the movie I did not understand was not lost on me, but that took nothing from it for me.
I saw it again, years later, and wondered what I had seen in it.
Then I saw it yet again, with my children, and was again, filled with delight.
Maybe it's one of those rare situational movies. If you ain't in the right situation, you just ain't gonna get it.
segue,
How did your children react?
We have it on VHS, but haven't small-screened it yet. Maybe better not to and just live with the memory.
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164. Spanner in the worksj
segue,
How did your children react?
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They saw it on VHS, and they reacted pretty much as I did at their age. It was delightful to watch them enjoying, laughing, squealing with joy or semi-terror, but loving it.
Forgot a couple:
The Goonies (starring Sean Astin), and Little Monsters (starring Fred Savage, his younger brother Ben Savage, and Howie Mandell).
segue,
From what you're saying, sounds as if the Disney images might have done a lot to carry the music across to them subliminally, which was part of the idea behind 'Fantasia'. I also asked because perspectives change with context and generation. Quite a lot of classical music floated on the airwaves when I was young, when there was only radio and very little choice of stations (all BBC). Nowadays it's nearly all rap, rock and pop for kids, background and foreground, and there have been gradual changes towards that all the time. Besides which youngsters have become progressively more worldly anyway. So I was wondering whether that had caused a different reaction in your children to your own.
These time change perspectives are fascinating. I often wonder what the congregation at Leipzig, listening to yet another hastily rehearsed weekly cantata by their harrassed Kantor, Mr Bach, made of it. Did they have the faintest notion the future would be hailing it as some of the sublimest music ever written? Or were they just itching to get the hell off the hard pew to the warm comfort of home and a hot toddy?
Ohh wow, what about Follow that Bird? It had an all start cast and tons of cameos. LOL I'm 24 and I still like to watch the movie whenever it's on Tv.
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167. Spanner in the worksj
From what you’re saying, sounds as if the Disney images might have done a lot to carry the music across to them subliminally, which was part of the idea behind ‘Fantasia’. I also asked because perspectives change with context and generation…Nowadays it’s nearly all rap, rock and pop for kids, background and foreground…
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Spanner: I was one of "those" moms. I controlled what they watched on television, and how much of that. Same with radio.
They were all voracious readers well before they turned 4, so many a dreary afternoon would find the four of us huddled together on a couch or bed, reading, while listening to classical music or, while it lasted, a wax on thin cardboard record of the "Song of the Humpback Whale" (my son's favorite recording), which had come inside a copy of National Geographic. Regardless of weather, everyday had at least an hour devoted to reading.
On nice days we'd go to the park or the beach or the aquarium or the art museum. We always had all the art supplies a kid could want, and a special place where messes could be as messy as messy could be.
Outdoor activities, too, were part of the daily schedule. Bike riding, skating, kicking a ball about, climbing trees;basically getting dirty and tired.
I was strict about nutrition, too. Everything was homemade…everything.
They weren't exposed to rap, rock, pop until school, by which time they had been immunized against the worst of it. Even as adolescents they didn't like rap or pop or most of what passed as rock. There were some groups they liked, and I even took them (besides to the Phil, Opera and Ballet) to Jazz and The Who and Stones.
I think they had a fairly well rounded upbringing for having only one parent.
But your point, " Besides which youngsters have become progressively more worldly anyway.", is usually spot-on.
What I see in my own eldest, with her 16 mo. old daughter, is the beginning of an almost exact replay of the way I brought her and her sibs up.
So maybe there *IS* hope.
segue,
Lucky children. And it sounds as if they appreciated your intentions all down the line, which many don't. There's that thing about telling them what you don't want them to do so they'll rebel and do what you do want them to do. Sadly, that's hypothetical advice that doesn't get off the runway in real life.
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170. Spanner in the worksj
…There’s that thing about telling them what you don’t want them to do so they’ll rebel and do what you do want them to do. Sadly, that’s hypothetical advice that doesn’t get off the runway in real life.
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Spanner: The trick is not telling them what you don’t want them to do, but just doing what you what them doing from the get-go…leading them gently and positively in the direction you've chosen. That way it's a positive experience all the way along the line. Couple that with repeated, heartfelt, congratulations for a job well done, no matter how small (age dependent), and they grow up with a very positive self-image.
They had nothing to rebel against because I'd never said "no", not until they were much older and it could be a discussion, not a dictum.
Toy Story is one of my dad's all-time favorite movies (not just kids movies), and he's a pretty harsh movie critic.
I wasn't introduced to classical music through Fantasia- my dad was a drummer in band when he was younger and my mom was into sports. my parents seperated and divorced when I was in elementary school. I was encourged to be active in school including sports, (I played basketball, soccer, and track & field) band, (started out playing clarinet advancing to bass clarinet and then marching baritone when I was in high school along with some left handed guitar thrown in there!) and anything else I wanted to be involved in- lots of clubs!! my parents listened to classic rock as I grew up, and at 25 I believe I have a pretty good respect for all music. I fell in love with Fantasia because it was so different from any other movie I had ever seen and of course I love and respect the movie and art that went into it. I have the dvd of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 and the extras in the original explain the concept and hope that Disney had for Fantasia only for it to be one of it's biggest flops. Fantasia was suppose to be an experience and change some everytime it was shown. 'Fantasound' was created and alot of theatres were not equipped for the stero sound that was suppose to be with Fantasia and took away from the experience. I suggest to anyone to get the dvd of the original and just check out the extras. The Nutcracker Suite is my favorite chapter in the original and I plan to have some of the clarinet music from The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy tattooed on my arm and incorporate a Fantasia theme with the tattoo. I can't wait!!!!!!
oh, what do I know- I'm just some skateboarding punk with piercings and tattoos that just loves music!!! I hope when I have kids they will enjoy Fantasia as much as me!!
Spongebob Squarepants is the worst thing top hit television since Bevis and Butthead…come to think of it…they made a horrible movie out of that too
Lethal Pixie,
You know, come to think of it, I think the sound track quality of 'Fantasia' was the bit I least liked, even then. It wasn't until the LP era, followed by CDs and hifi radio, that I became aware of what such stuff was supposed to sound like when recorded.
Dave,
Well, you can have all that endless repulsive Japanese *****e and its inane, deadbrained like we never watch on our television, and we'll relieve you of the sponge. Certainly not that good, but, By The Beard of The Great Prophet, a million times better and more 'human'.
Spanner in the works
(149) i had replied to your post more recently, but must not have uploaded, it was pretty long winded and i couldnt possibly remember the exact wording of what i wrote, but, breifly, i was not having a go at Disney, if you do some research, you'll find that Disney has been the corner stone of telling some of the most moraly correct stories that actually influenced children of the day, since then they have lost that bit of sparkle, if i remember correctly as well, Disney was involved in a lot of war propaganda during world war 2 and even having a negro portraid as a "Sambo"
Now, they arent considered politicaly correct, but back then it was a way of pushing your ideas in to the publics phsyce.
that aside, because its not what we're talking about, i think society has developed an unhealthy veiw of how the world works, over the evolution of media has come the evolution of commercialism, where one goes – the other tags a long, and it has produced a generation of spoilt, money hungry, must have that new accessory, children.
then in 30 to 40 years time, we can have brain dead leaders running the world, but that being said, its up to the individual at the time to make up their mind of what appeals to them.
Great one that should be on the list, "Alice in Wonderland" now try watching it while on LSD, its quite weird.
176. Your post dizzies me. I'm not a grammar Nazi, but your run-on sentences, disjointed thoughts, and spelling errors took away from whatever point you were trying to make.
Naw, I'll pass on Alice in Wonderland/LSD. You can tell me all about it- or try.
Cedestra – using out of date technology at the moment, half the stuff written ain't coming out properly, in regards to the spelling, I just got the *****s with the computer I was using because my whole system is down (server and desk tops)
so it was a mix of stuffed up computers and my lack of patience, as you might see in the comment, I did post something earlier which didn’t upload, but with my server and desktops not working at 100%, its been hard to get anything done from my end, there’s probably a post or two on another site that doesn’t make any sense at all as well, I haven’t been able to comment on the lists as regularly as I have in the past and a lot of the stuff I’ve written about hasn't come out the way that I wanted to say it.
trust me, I know where your coming from, all I’ll say in my defense about my comments is that I don’t like how all the commercialism has flowed through into children’s entertainment, its always been a factor, but children at any age are innocent and impressionable beings, I know from when I was young (and I’m only 24) that the amount of advertising, whether it be through a movie or on TV, has at least doubled or tripled and has become more in tuned with the wants of young children, which in turn (as long winded as it might sound) gives the next upcoming generation a very distorted view of how the world works.
Simple *****ogy:
work = money = spend
not: spend = work = money
and that’s a trap that people fall into from an early age, they go out, spend up big (credit card or not) get big bill in the mail and stress the ***** out until its worked off, something I was taught long ago is "if you don’t have the money, wait until you do" sounds a little stupid, but try telling a parent that who has constantly got their children nagging them for the new over the top accessory and cant afford it by paying cash, therefore resorting to plastic credit instead of passing on to the children the values of being able to work with what you have.
It is better to be humble with what you have and pass on those kinds of teachings.
Cedestra : how did that list go?
Toy Story should definitely be on this list; it's one of my father's favourite movies.